Photos: Abandoned farmhouse, Bergen

A sign of the times. Seems like you see more and more of these old houses abandoned and falling apart. I always try to think about who lived there, and who was the last person to walk out the door....the beginning of "The End" Left to fend for itself against the elements. It never takes mother nature long to put it out of its misery. Soon it will be like it was never there.

What a shame to see this house falling apart. It is a Greek Revival. Most were built before 1850.

I did have pictures of this house, from 2007 before my computer crashed. That if you believe it or not there are white figurines of children in the pictures, and they were taking at night time. Maybe some investigation should be done to see what actually happened to the owner of this house.

I grew up in Bergen , lived there from the time i was born until the summer before my 17th birthday and for as long as i can remember this house was abandoned , i don't ever remember seeing cars there or ever seeing lights on or people there , not sure how long it has been since anyone lived there.

The property was the former Fodge farm, owned and farmed by James and Mary Fodge. James was born in 1880, son of Irish immigrants (Michael and Mary) and grew up on the homestead on Lyman Rd.

James and Mary had four offspring: Edward, Margaret, Francis and Adrian. Francis was an Air Force pilot killed in action during WW II (1945) in India. He flew C-47 missions over the Himalayas to supply forces in China. He flew 150 missions. Adrian died recently (2009); he had retired, a former engineering manager at General Railway Signal Works. He had raised a family in the Village of Bergen.

Margaret married Michael Clifford (a railroad employee), and they resided at the Townline Rd. house. She died in 1999. Her husband died in 2004, and the estate changed hands. Michael Clifford was 95 when he passed away. The fourth sibling, Edward, was also a railroad employee. He died in 1995.

I believe farm operation ceased when James Fodge died in 1971. The property may have been leased for others to farm since then. The advanced age of the Cliffords and the worn appearance of the buildings likely gave the impression of abandonment.

I go by this house all of the time. Occasionally I still see cars there. Obviously no one is living there...I assume whomever it is is just checking on the place.